COUNTRY NEWS.

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2691, 2 October 1871, Page 2

COUNTRY NEWS.

MOUNT IDA. There whs an unpleasant nun u- abroad in Nasehy for a couple of days that a miner named’John Harper lud been missing for a couple of days. It would appear that Harper, who was working at Clark’s Diggings o.i a claim belonging to Gogarty and Greer, was sent, on the morning of the 20th, to clear out a portion of a head-race at some distance from the claim Harper not return’ng in the evening, alarm was naturally created, and search was made the following day and his tracks followed in the snow, but with no further result whatever. On the evening of the 2Sth Harper turned up safe and sound. It appears that he mistook a spur and fairly lost his way. Nothing daunted, lie persevered, and after a night’s exposure without food, and with insufficient clothing, he succeeded in making Ca'lery’s hut on Gogau’s farm at the Kyeburn. —The exo Ins to Clark’s Diggings still, continues, a largo proportion being Chinese. —Chronic CUOMWELL. The Hawea Station, consisting of 20,000 acres of pastoral country, together with the sheep and cattle thereon, has been purchased from Charles Roberts by Mesas W. Fraso (of ‘ arnscleugh), and G Stewart (manager of Hawksbura Station). This station is .situ tfe on the Hawea Lake, within the bound a y of the Canterbury Province ; and is said to be one of the most compact and easily-worked rims in New Zealand—We learn from private some s th it the Assembly have adopted a resolution to levy an import duty of LlO per ton on rice. A Chinese storekeeper at the Bannockburn proved himself equal to the emergency by purchasing all the rice held by the Cromwell storekeepers before the latter became aware of the increase in the duty. The Mongolian merchant had evidently anticipated the imnosition of a restrictive tax on the staple food of his countrymen, for he managed to secure the earliest information of the passing of the now tariff, and lost no time in turning that information to profitable account.—The Cromwell Jockey Club have decided to hold their races as usual on the first Thursday and Friday in December, notwithstanding that the Dunstan Club uncourteously decided to alter their next meet to the same days.— The’Garrick range reefs are turning out good stone. (The Royal Standard machine has been in full operation since the 20th, on a parcel of sixty tons from the heart of Oak claim. It is supposed the stuff will (yield 5 ozs to the ton, but 2$ or 3 ozs will more pro-

result. A recent crushing of,stone iromitbe Bonier reef of 9| tons yielde&.qyef ounces of gold. The quartz had to be packed along a track cut for the purpose down the s'de of the cliff. We are informed that this company, after paying aU expen incurred s nee the discovery of the claim, lately declared a dividend of LG or L 7 per share. In the Heart of Oak c aim, there are two ne's, both pretty well opened up, and both have proved to be very rich. The lodes, so far as they have been traced, ran in a diagonal direction through the claim.—One hundred tons of stone and mu'loch from Iverson’s reef, Couivy’s gully, realised the satisfactory return of 113 ozs.— Argus. OAMAKU. The Clifton Falls estate, including about 19,000 acres of freehold, 16,000 sheep, and 800 head of cattle, the property of E. B Atkinson, Esq., has, we believe, recently been di-posed of to Messrs Eeid and Menlove, for L 27,000. —The “ larrikin ” nuisance apjfeavs to have extended itself to Oamaru. Last week some boys aum ed themselves by destroying the whole of the windows of the St Luke’s (Episcopalian t.hurch). —On the 23rd Air E. M’Ghishan applied to Mr Parker, E.M., to have Mr E. E. Bird bound over to keep the peace. The parties met on board the Gothenburg, when " defendant - Charged plaintiff with making false statements in giving his evidence in the recent trial of .M ‘Glashan v. Bird, and in doing so used abusive and threatening language. Defendant was bound over to keep the peace for six days. '